GeekSugar

Create Polaroid Photos With the Website Rollip

GeekSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:05:23 -0700

I just love being able to transform a new photo into something that looks like it's from my grandmother's old photo box. I've already told you about Poladroid - the downloadable app that makes it quick and easy to make a photo look like a retro-chic Polaroid pic.

Well now there's a site called Rollip that is similar to Poladroid, but offers a few more customization options. There may be some extra steps involved, but it's free, and it allows you to choose from a variety of photo effects and select an artsy border design (with or without text).

Once your photo "develops," you can then download it, share it via email, Facebook, or MySpace and even purchase it as a real pic!

Found a cool website you want to tell people about? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Ask a Geek Girl: Which Is the Best Free Online Photo Editor?

GeekSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:05:25 -0700

We all want to have perfectly cropped and edited photos to post to our Flickr accounts, but how can you do that if you are working without some reliable software? Take it online that's how. We received this question from TeamSugar member bluespirit who wanted to know more about free photo editing software:

"I've wanted a free photo editing program for awhile now but can't afford something like Photoshop. A simple Google search turned up quite a few results, but which is the best free photo editing program out there?"

Good news for you, my photo-loving friend, because I have posted a ton of suggestions for amazing (and free!) online photo-editing sites here already. But to see my suggestion for you, and to find out which site is my current obsession, just read more.

Since you mentioned you'd love to get your hands on Photoshop, but can't afford the price tag, you should check out Photoshop Express. It contains most of the tools you'll find in the full-scale version, but it's online and free! That's right, free.

The photo-editing site that's rocking my boat right now is Flauntr. Flauntr lets you edit like you're in Photoshop or iPhoto, plus it helps get your photos out of your computer and into the hands of friends and family all in one stop.

What is your favorite free online photo-editing site? Share with the group in the comments!

Keep Scantily Clad Photos on Your iPhone Private

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:02:06 -0700

I wasn't born yesterday, so I know what people have hiding in the depths of their iPhones. And especially now with the hot new camera on the iPhone 3GS, it's even more tempting to put your iPhone's camera to good use.

In case your iPhone gets in the wrong hands - first step is using Find My iPhone - you should have the Private Pics app ($2) installed on your phone to prevent prying eyes from seeing your goods.

If you have risque photos of yourself or others on your iPhone, this is one of those safety precaution apps. Maybe mom wants to take your phone for a test drive and all of a sudden starts browsin' your pics - oops! That's when you wish you woulda had Private Pics installed.

Upload Your Photos In Fun Obama-esque Themes!

GeekSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:02:56 -0700

Remember during the election when everyone and their sister was posting Obama-style photos for their Facebook profile pics which originated from Shepard Fairey's iconic "Hope" poster?!

Yeah I remember that too, except I didn't know how the heck they were easily whipping up these creations. Bingo! Obamicon.Me is one of those fun photo websites that makes it effortless to transform a regular photo into your own personalized webicon - for free!

Once you get your picture exactly the way you want it you can post it as your Twitter profile picture or Facebook photo in one simple click.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Turn Your Pics Into a Music Video With Animoto

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:38:47 -0700

I love iPhoto's slideshow feature, but if you aren't a Mac fan (or even if you are), and want a fresh, simple, and quick way to put some music to your pics, check out Animoto.

Animoto is different from a regular slideshow, since the program does all the work for you. It analyzes your photos you upload (via your computer, Flickr, or another photo-sharing website) and your music choice, then creates a custom slideshow (or more appropriately, music video) for your pics. This is not just the same ole boring fade-in, fade-out slideshow you're used to - this site uses some sweet touches and effects to keep things exciting. But more than just an attention-getting slideshow, the best part is that it's free (there's a fee if you want to create longer videos).

Have a cool website that you want to share? Submit it to our Website of the Day group. To learn how, just read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

12 Fun With Your Photos Websites

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:56:15 -0700

If I ever questioned why digital cameras were invented, this would be my answer - websites that let you upload your pics in fun templates and transform your photos into artistic masterpieces! Ever since we started our Website of the Day feature, I've been drawn to creative photo sites like the ones I'm about to show you. Who knew that there were so many ways to spice up an otherwise plain digital photo?! Enjoy!

View Slideshow ›

Map Individual Photos in Google's Picasa

GeekSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:00:44 -0700

I recently discovered a new feature in Picasa that I had no idea even existed. Whenever you upload photos to an album, you cannot only add a location to the entire album (something I always do so people viewing the pics know where they were taken), but you can also include specific locations for each photo!

To do this, once your album is uploaded, click on "Edit" then "Album Map" and you can just drag and drop individual photo thumbnails directly onto the map. Click done when you are finished adding whichever photos you would like on the map and then when your friends or family view the album, they will see the corresponding map location in the "Photo Locations" window!

Use Pixer.us to Crop, Resize, and Enhance Photos

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:00:46 -0700

Regardless of whether I'm away from my computer or not, I sometimes get lazy and like to use online photo editing sites for quick photo edits, rather than going into Photoshop, and so on. I've already told you about some of my top picks for free photo editing sites, but I've got another one to add to the list - Pixer.us - which offers more than just the basics (effects, brightness, resizing). It's no fuss editing online, and you don't even have to sign up for an account to get started.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I'm done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

How-To: Create Slideshows and Movies For Your Reception

GeekSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:05:10 -0700

If you haven't noticed, it's wedding season here on the Sugar Network and I've been busy telling you how to keep up with your own wedding website, pick out the perfect photographer, and manage all those photos - yours and your guests - after the big day. This week, we're moving into the wedding planning stages, and today I'm talking about slideshows. But this isn't the after-the-event, it-was-such-a-beautiful-day slideshow, this is the slideshow you play during your reception, usually packed with photos of you and your betrothed throughout your relationship together.

Although I've already given you some tips on what you should consider when putting together your slideshows, you may not know where to begin once you have all your photos chosen. If you don't have a Mac (I know I've talked your ear off about the simple joy of iPhoto), you can still make professional-looking slideshows and videos with your PC. Who woulda thought, right?

Find out what software you should consider, and what to do with those stacks of (nondigital) photos when you read more.

If not all of your photos are digital, it's OK - you can scan your photos, get them onto a CD and ready for uploading just by toting them down to your local Walgreens (or similar drug store that offers photo developing). And you're on your way to getting all your treasured pics into a slideshow.

Once you have all your photos uploaded to your computer, all you have to do is choose your software to start putting it all together. With any of these programs, you can arrange your pics, choose your (optional) background music that will play during your slideshow, and will even let you add in video clips if you want to switch things up. My first love is iPhoto, mostly for its ease of use and ability to export to not only a DVD but to your website, mobile phone, and iTunes to enjoy later.

But for you PC users out there, software like DVD Picture Show, My Memories Suite, and MediaShow 4 will get you the same great results, accommodates photos and video clips, and will export online or to a CD/DVD.

Do you have a photo program you'd like to recommend? Let us know about it in the comments below!

Source

ScanCafe Preserves Your Memories, One Photo at a Time

GeekSugar — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:05:50 -0700

Take a trip with me back to my parents' house, and I probably have about 20 photo albums filled from cover to cover of mainly my teenage years - yes, a good portion of my part-time job money went to one hour photo developing shops. Now that digital photos are so easy to take and access on your computer, I often wish my "old" print photos were accessible to share with friends and post in my family Facebook group.

Here's something I may have to try. A company called ScanCafe will take your old photo prints, negatives, and slides and digitize them for you. They will scan all of your photos by hand, then privately post them to their website. Basically the ones you decide to keep are the ones you pay for (you have to purchase at least 50 percent).

I do have some gripes though and offer some alternative solutions. To find out what they are read more.

Although the service sounds spectacular, keep in mind that the company ships your photos off to a facility in India to be scanned, so if you're worried about losing them in a cross continent trek DigMyPics is another great scanning company located here in the US. . . and for San Franciscans like me, try Digital Pickle.